Nomad Luke's Journey of Life
by Foxsoul
Summary: The Nomad Luke begins a life-long training trip. His first stop: Nerima. Next: The World
1. Chapter 1

Nomad - Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 1: Nerima 1

Luke Nomades grunted as his father's fists struck against his guard. He cursed as he was forced back, then shifted his foot back for more leverage.

"Good, son, your strength is growing still. Keep your mind clear."

With a wince, Luke finally deployed his ki field, fists striking against it now. This gave him the freedom to strike with an open palm, blasting his father back.

"Good job, Luke. I never taught you that one," his father complimented. "You've passed the basic Path tests."

"So that means - huff - I get to learn on my own?" He dropped the ki field.

"Yes. It's time you inherited the birthright of the Nomades clan."

"The Spirit Cannon?"

"No. That you must learn on your own. I mean the gear every Nomades carries with him. The Spirit Cannon hasn't been used since ages ago."

"Then why did you tell me about it?"

"Because I know you can learn it. The man to start teaching it lives in this very city. He isn't a part of the Path, but he knows Ki techniques."

"How come you can't teach it to me?"

"Because Ki can only be used in certain generations..."

"What aren't you telling me, Dad?"

"I can't tell you. That's one of the things you must discover for yourself." Luke's father gave him a stern look, then softened. "Your next destination is the Tendo Dojo."

"And after that?"

"Anything. Let your heart and the Path guide you. The gear I'm going to give you means you can survive anything on this Earth, short of the Poles." With that, he stepped into their house.

"The first thing every Nomades has is the Nomades Staff. What I haven't told you about it is that it doubles as a fishing pole and a bow." The staff extended six feet and. unlike the training version, had a reel and string attached, along with steel tips.

"The second, the shield. Strike a knife against the inside and you'll get sparks. The spikes will keep it level. It's like a moving firepit." The shield was completely black, with a Greek 'N.' Three spikes extended out from the front.

"The cloak. It's heavy, and the hem can be untied to make it longer. Drape it over the Staff, it's a tent. Tie it between trees, it's a hammock." The cloak was grey and hooded, with a heavy hem.

"And the knife. Everything can be done with this knife. Put Ki in it and it'll stop bullets." The knife was double-edged and black. The handle fit easily in one hand, and the blade extended an even foot. Except for the clear crystal core set into the blade, it was completely black.

"This is all you need to live a Nomades life. And now, it's time. Farewell, my son."

"I guess you'll go back to travelin', huh? Farewell, to you too, Father."

With one last test now over and the legacy of the Nomades family having been passed on, Luke Nomades sets out for the Tendo dojo, his first stop on a journey that will last his whole life. How will he affect others' lives, and will he find happiness? These are the questions that can only be answered in a story.

The story of Luke's Journey of Life.


	2. Chapter 2

Nomad - Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 2: Nerima 2

Luke Nomades had just set off on his journey of life. His first stop, the Tendo dojo.

At the dojo, it was a couple of days after the failed marriage of Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. Everyone was focusing on getting back to some semblance of a normal routine. Which meant fiancees getting into yet another scuffle over Ranma. The scuffle had started overflowing into the street just as Luke had stepped into the gate of their little yard.

The only warning he had was a clash of weapons before the conflict smashed into him. All he could do was square his feet and shout, "Ki Field!" The field pushed against the girls and shoved them away from him. They all rounded on him; the field had pressed against some of their more private areas.

"HENTAI!" they all shouted. The subsequent attacks broke his concentration, forcing him to resort to blocking with his staff. Blows also resounded off his shield. Both were twisted away, and he resorted to blocking with his forearms and legs.

With a final mallet blow, he was blasted into low earth orbit and crash-landed in a building. He pried himself out of the wreckage and took off to the dojo once more.

By the time he returned, the fighters had split. Akane had stayed, but the others had returned to their various homes or businesses. He limped over to where his stuff lay, inside the dining room.

"Oh, hello, sir! Sorry about your stuff. We gathered it up and we had hoped you'd be back," Kasumi said, before setting another place. "Here, this is for you."

Ranma and his father nearly snatched it up, but Luke lashed out with his fingers straight out, his middle finger slapping into their pressure points. "Oh, sorry, reflex. My name's Luke Nomades."

Akane glared at him, but he returned it with an emotionless glance.

"So you pulled that Ki Field technique, huh? I haven't seen a technique like that much. Is it a family technique?" Genma asked.

"You could say that. I'm the first one in a while to use it. Most of my family can't use Ki."

"I noticed you were able to hold out for only a little while against those girls. Ranma here could've held out much longer," Genma said, slapping his son's shoulder with his good hand.

Luke had begun eating, but paused to say, "Actually, that's why I'm here. I'm beginning a life-long training trip, and I was told this was my first stop. I need to learn Ki techniques and, obviously, a little about unarmed defense."

"Ranma will be happy to teach you!" Genma volunteered.

"Dammit Pops, stop puttin' words in my mouth!" Ranma yelled.

"I can work for my room and food. I was trained in cooking and construction as part of the Path." Luke calmly interjected. "I've been cooking for myself since I could read."

"Anybody'd cook better than this tomboy."

"Grrrr... RANMA!" Mallet, meet Ranma.

"Why meeeeeeeeeee..."

"So it's decided. Ranma can train you, and you can fix this new hole in the roof," Soun said.

After dinner, Ranma helped Luke by passing boards to him. "So you were trained in the Path. Can't say I've heard of it."

"I've only heard a little about your school. Like yours, it's a family thing," he spoke as he struck a nail, driving it in with one blow.

"I guess we can start tomorrow. I gotta say, I'm curious about your style."

"Well, we'll each learn something tomorrow. I'll sleep out in the yard."

The two finished the job and went out to the yard. Luke draped his cloak over the staff, creating a tent.

"G'night, sensei," Luke said, half-joking.

"Yeah, just call me Ranma. G'night."


	3. Chapter 3

Nomad - Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 3: Nerima 3

The next day, Luke walked along with Ranma and Akane as they walked to school. The same old lady splashed Ranma with water, and like every other time they stopped by Dr. Tofu's for hot water. Luke started work for Tofu, demonstrating a rudimentary knowledge of pressure points and a great willingness to learn. He stayed for his first day at work.

Dr. Tofu had just finished teaching Luke how to correct dislocated joints when Kasumi, Ranma, and Akane came in. Tofu began his usual antics. After staring in open-mouthed shock at the extreme insanity, Luke offered to fix Ranma's injuries, which came courtesy of Akane naturally.

Afterwards, they returned to the dojo. Ranma and Luke faced off, Ranma in his usual stance, Luke in a loose boxer's stance, hands open.

Ranma launched into a fierce flurry of hooks and jabs. Luke firmly stood his ground, his hands slapping aside the strikes just as fast.

"Ki Field!" Luke shouted.

"Hey, look!" Ranma responded, pointing to the side.

Luke snapped his head to the side, letting his field drop. Ranma drove a fist into Luke's stomach, pressing him back.

Luke clutched his stomach with one hand. Ranma pressed his attack, this time throwing kicks as well as fists. Luke managed to block them all with one arm and a couple kicks of his own. He noticed a single supposed opening and struck with an open palm, only to be hit with a blow to the side. Blow after blow rained down before Luke kicked Ranma away from him.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!"

"KI FIELD!"

The ki blast impacted on the field, which held strong. Ranma breathed hard before quickly throwing his hands up as Luke yelled out his own "MOKO TAKABISHA!"

The ki attack faded away as Ranma responded with his own blast, just powerful enough to keep Luke's ki attack at bay.

Luke breathed out a hard breath as he saw Ranma had deflected the blast unscathed. Ranma, for his part, complimented Luke by saying, "It took me almost a week to figure that attack out."

"I learn the basics quick. It wasn't anywhere near as strong as yours, though."

"That takes practice, plus I'm one of the most confident people out there."

Luke nodded. "I'm better at clearing emotional distractions."

"You also need to learn to dodge. All blocking can really wear down on you."

"I trained to save my energy by standing my ground."

"Okay. I'll try to help you with that. Also, I'll teach you the 'Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire' technique."

"I've heard of that. Isn't it a Chinese Amazon technique?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you heard of it."

"Well, my family travels a lot. Our name is Greek for traveler."

"So that's what it is."

"Yeah. Our home language is a mix of everything."

"I should get your help for my English homework."

"K. I can do that."

"Seriously? I was joking!"

"Dinner!" Kasumi yelled from the dining room.

"Thank Seven, I'm starving!" Luke yelled as the two guys went in.


	4. Chapter 4

Nomad - Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 4: Nerima 4

A few weeks later, Luke had learned the Chestnut Fist technique and had gone a long way to mastering the Moko Takabisha. The two decided to take a break and relax.

"So what do you do to relax?" Luke asked.

"Heh, that's a good question. Stop training for a day, and I got nothin'," Ranma sheepishly replied.

Both their stomachs gurgled.

"I could go for some okonomiyaki," Luke admitted.

"Okay. We'll go to a friend of mine's place. Ucchan's."

The two walked over to the restaurant. When they got there, Ukyo gave her usual enthusiastic greeting to her 'Ranma-honey.'

"All right, Ukyo, one special," Ranma ordered.

"Surprise me, babe," Luke said.

Ukyo blushed slightly at this strange boy's compliment. "Right, one special and one surprise coming up."

The orders came quickly as usual.

"_'Ranma-honey?'_ Where'd that come from?" Luke asked.

"She's one of three fiancees I have. Her and Akane happened because my pops' a dishonorable fat panda, and the other is a Chinese Amazon that's using some stupid Amazon law to lay claim to me."

"And she's okay with that?"

"Now. At first, she wanted to kill me."

Luke whistled. "Now that's a **great **way to start a relationship. So why do you seem so sad when you talk about it? You're living with a very beautiful fiancee, shouldn't that make up your mind?"

"What? That uncute tomboy? You're joking, right?"

Luke leveled a piercing gaze at his 'sensei.' "You're only fooling yourself."

"Shut up!"

"Fine then. I guess the way's clear for me to court her." Luke shoved half his okonomiyaki into his mouth to distract Ranma from the fact that he was hard-pressed to keep a straight face.

"Pff, whatever."

They finished their food and returned to the dojo. Luke began carving something out of wood as Ranma turned to private practice.

Akane chose that point in time to walk out and sit down. Luke scooted closer and asked, "So what's with the whole fiancee deal?"

"Oh, don't even mention that! It's my stupid dad's fault!"

"So you're not really given to marrying Ranma."

"NO!" she yelled a little too forcefully.

"Soooo..." he stopped carving to scratch the back of his neck with the handle of his knife, then continued, "You wouldn't mind if, saaaaay, I courted you."

Akane blushed. "Are you serious?"

"It's not like I've had the chance to date anybody else, what with my family traveling all the time."

"W-well, o-okay." _**Damn, now I'm stuck! I don't really wanna date this guy, but I just denied my best option!**_

"Great! I heard about a good ramen place in town. Ya wanna go there tomorrow evening?"

"S-sure..."

"WHO IS THIS FOUL FIEND! YOU DARE SOIL THE NAME OF AKANE TENDO!"

Luke's quick reflexes brought his knife up to intercept the kendo blade before he even recognized the threat. With a pull, Luke slammed his foot into Kuno's chin. Not accustomed to this samurai wannabe, he had pulled the blow, instead of knocking him clear into orbit. He rolled past Kuno and grabbed his staff, bringing it up in a classic spear-fighting stance.

"Who the hell are you, hotshot?"

"I AM TATEWAKI KUNO, THE BLUE THUNDER OF FURINKAN HIGH!"

"Great. Let's roll." Luke charged with a hard swing from the back end of the staff, knocking Kuno's blade aside. With the same strike he had used on Ranma and Genma his first meal, Kuno was disarmed. Luke shifted back and placed the lead tip of his staff at Kuno's throat.

"My name is Luke Nomades, and I just kicked your ass."

"FOOL! I CANNOT BE -"

Ranma had grown tired of the inane discourse and done what Luke had failed to do. Luke relaxed and placed his staff at a relaxed position, still ready.

"P-chan!" Akane squealed.

"Oh great, porkie's here," Ranma muttered under his breath.

"OHOHOHOHOOOO!" Kodachi came down on the roof of the house, causing Luke to bring his staff up into that same defensive position as before, staff pointed at the crazed gymnast.

"What? Peasant, how dare you point that weapon at me!"

"Bitch, I am Luke Nomades, the descendant of the greatest wandering warriors that ever lived, the great Nomads! You can take that peasant remark, shove it up your _crackpipe_ and SMOKE IT!" He resorted to an English term to adequately display his displeasure.

"You dare speak to your superiors in that way? I'll have your head!" Kodachi lashed out with her ribbon, only to have it neatly slashed by Luke's knife.

"Yeah, I know bout your damned ribbon. Ya got anything else?"

"Why you! THOUSAND CLUBS!"

She leaped down and began striking at him with her club technique. With practiced Chestnut-Fist speed, he managed to disarm her of each club. He spun one of them on a fingertip.

"RETURN - TO - SENDER!" Luke charged the club with ki and threw it back at Kodachi. The ki-infused club blasted her into the sky, on the same trajectory that Kuno had taken.

"Well, that was fun. SEE YOU TOMORROW!" he yelled after the flying girl.


	5. Chapter 5

Nomad - Luke' Journey of Life

Chapter 5: Nerima Farewell

True to her word, the next day Akane and Luke set off for the ramen stand. As they approached it, Akane's face fell.

Luke pretended not to notice. After all, he knew very well why Akane wouldn't want to eat at the Cat Cafe.

Shampoo noticed Akane as she came in, but did not serve them. Instead, she had Mousse serve them. Her role in the little plan she was cooking up (no pun intended) lay in the kitchen.

When their food came, Luke took a quick sniff, then grabbed Akane's hand before she could eat. He called out in perfect Mandarin Chinese, _"Waiter!"_

Mousse came over and responded in kind. _"Yes, what is it?"_

_"This food has been poisoned. I insist on seeing the manager of this restaurant."_

Mousse scratched the back of his neck. _"Very well sir."_ He disappeared and came back with Cologne.

_"My name is Ku Lon, and I'm the manager. What may I help you with?"_

_"This food is __**poisoned**__. Please explain."_

_"Wait one moment."_

Cologne went back into the kitchen and spoke to Shampoo. When Shampoo heard about this, she exploded.

"STUPID KITCHEN WRECKER DIE!"

Luke had assumed this would happen. Despite being unable to bring his staff, he had still come prepared; his knife was already charged with ki. As Shampoo charged out bonbori swinging, he yelled out, "BLADE SHATTERER!" before striking both of Shampoo's weapons with his knife. The weapons instantly exploded in a cloud of splinters, almost exactly like Bakusai Tenketsu did to rocks.

Shampoo stood shocked.

Luke sheathed his knife and took his stance. _"Well, are you going to attack? Surely you can take lil ol' manly me down."_

With a scream, Shampoo charged. Luke easily deflected her amateurish, though brutal, attacks. The fight tore through the storefront and into the streets.

Tired of deflecting with his arms, Luke shouted, "KI FIELD!" Shampoo's attacks bounced off his field for a few seconds before Luke's hand, curled in his signature nerve-point striking fist, struck out at her neck. She fell unconscious.

Luke dropped his ki field with a harsh explosion of breath. He turned to Cologne. _"So, Ku Lon, will you promise to leave Ranma's engagement to Akane without interference?"_

_"That decision may be out of my hands. Now that you've defeated her, you need only defeat Ranma to seal your engagement,"_ she informed him.

He nodded. _"Then follow me."_

Mousse stayed behind to close up the store as the Amazons, Luke, and Akane returned home. Akane was still confused as to what was going on, and Luke chose not to inform her.

When they reached the house, Ryoga and Ranma were fighting. Ryoga fired off a last Shi Shi Hokodan before falling to Ranma's attacks. Luke carefully stored this information away before shouting, "Ranma Saotome, in the way of the Amazon tradition, I challenge you for the hand of Xian Pu!"

Ranma slowly walked over to face Luke. "What the heck are you doing?" he whispered.

"Getting you out of this stupid engagement with Shampoo!" Luke whispered back.

"Then I accept your challenge, Luke Nomades. But I never lose!"

_Now is a good time to start, Ranma, _Luke thought to himself before launching a flurry of attacks.

This time, with Luke on the offensive, Ranma was hard-pressed to dodge and block all of his attacks. The situation was reversed from a few weeks ago. Ranma cursed his excellent teaching abilities as Luke used every technique Ranma had taught him against his former sensei.

With a shout, Ranma retook the offensive, forcing Luke to begin blocking. With the minimal dodges and blocks that he used, Luke was well on his way to tiring Ranma out.

"MOKO TAKABISHA!" both opponents shouted at the same time, creating a clash of ki between the two. Ranma's ki blast overpowered Luke's, but he had already begun moving.

_Time to try the lower-level technique,_ he thought to himself before shouting, "Ki Gun!"

An outstreched finger unleashed several rapid-fire ki bursts at Ranma, who deflected them as easy as if the were punches or kicks, just as Luke had foreseen. The technique was intended to only have that effect.

Ranma noticed the Ki Gun had left plenty of hot ki just 'laying around.' He began the steps of the Hiryu Shoten Ha, distracting him with a dizzying blur of kicks and punches. He stepped back, giving Luke what seemed like a small break.

But Ranma shouted, "HIRYU SHOTEN HA!" blasting Luke into a massive hurricane.

From the depths of the maelstrom, a voice shouted, "WATER STYLE: FLOWING DODGE!"

Luke finally used his family's other defense style to allow his body to flow with the wind's abrupt changes, making his way to a point above Ranma.

Ranma didn't see Luke drop from the sky until he shouted "KI CANNON!" A blast similar to Moko Takabisha in form, but Shi Shi Hokodan in color, blasted into Ranma. He staggered to his feet...

Only to be dropped by a pressure-point strike as Luke completed his landing.

"Wind Counterstyle: Diving Hawk," Luke muttered as he relaxed his stance.

Everyone around the two opponents dropped their jaws to the floor. Ranma, the unbeatable, had just been dropped by his former student.

Luke staggered over to Cologne. _"As the victor, I claim the hand of Xian Pu."_

_"So it should be,"_ Cologne responded.

_"However, it is the tradition of my people to refrain from marriage until the age of thirty. I apologize."_

_"No need. I understand as well."_

Luke walked over to Ranma and, with a complex set of taps, released Ranma from his paralysis. "Sorry, but I had to end it. I think you were starting to actually try to win."

Ranma laughed. "Yeah, I told you I never lose. Guess I was wrong."

"So now, you have TWO fiancees. Makes it a lot easier, huh? Huh?"

"Yeah. Luke, you have my thanks."

Luke nodded. "Well then, now that my work here is done, I'll take my leave. It's time I moved on."

"But... you gotta teach me that Ki Gun and Ki Cannon, and that pressure-point strike."

Luke walked over to his things laying at the base of a tree in the yard. He put his shield on his back, patted his knife's hilt to make sure it was there, then grabbed his staff.

He turned back to Ranma. "The pressure-point is a family secret. As for the others..."

He turned to the setting sun, basking in its glory. "I figured them out from your attack and your friend's. Surely you can put two and two together."

With this last remark, he turned back to his friends from the past few weeks. "Farewell, all of you. I'll see you again, hopefully sooner than thirty."

He turned and, with the setting sun at his back, traveled off into the night.


	6. Nerima Epilogue

Chapter 6: Nerima Epilogue/Author's Note

Ranma and the others watched the young man walk off into the night.

"I'm gonna miss that boy," Soun wailed, tears flowing as usual.

"Farewell, son-in-law. Well Ranma, I guess Xian Pu and I will see you later. Now that Xian Pu's no longer engaged to you, we'll be returning to China. When Luke returns, please point him our way," Cologne said to her former 'son-in-law.'

Ranma nodded. He appreciated all the times that Cologne had trained him; now that the only reason for them to be hostile was gone, he had nothing but cautiously friendly feelings for the old lady.

Ryoga had regained consciousness during the last part of Ranma's fight. For some reason, the fact that Ranma **was** defeatable removed all those negative feelings. He was no longer in despair over not beating Ranma. This made him think. If his despair was misplaced, maybe his crush on Akane was as well.

Ukyo and Mousse had arrived as well; Ukyo had been attracted by the light show, Mousse by the fact that Shampoo's engagement to Ranma was at stake. Ukyo sighed in relief because her biggest competition was leaving.

Mousse trembled in rage. "Now where will I go?"

Ukyo heard his outburst and turned to him. "You could work for me."

Mousse crossed his arms. "I'll think about it."

Ryoga's eyes were drawn to Ukyo as she spoke. Now that he was no longer obsessed, he noticed Ukyo's beauty for the first time. He thought back with amusement to the time he and she had tried to break Ranma and Akane up at the Cave of Cursed Lovers. A light flickered on in his brain. _Maybe there are other women for me,_ he thought to himself.

Ranma was rubbing his neck. The point Luke had struck was still hurting, a reminder of his loss. Akane noticed this and gently laid a hand on the spot. "Are you okay, Ranma?"

Akane's touch, for once gentle and not a strike, instantly soothed his pain. This was new to Ranma; he wasn't used to a gentle touch from her hands. He brushed his fingers across her own, just as gentle. "I'm better now. Thanks, Akane."

The two shared a gentle little moment, interrupted by a voice.

"WHAT FOUL SORCERY IS THIS?!"

"KUNOOOOO!"

Author's Note:

This concludes the first Nerima story arc. Rest assured, the Nerima Wrecking Crew will not be forgotten. Luke will still use what Ranma has taught him, and I have a special role in mind for Ryoga in the next story arc/crossover. In the meantime, I would love to hear your reviews, and the next arc will be a crossover with SquareSoft's Chrono Trigger. This is Flames Chaos and Wolf, signing off for now.


	7. Guardia One

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 7: Guardia 1

Luke had stayed the night in a forest jut outside Tokyo. He had slept well, but that was about to change.

The sound of a Timegate opening woke him up, just in time to notice the Gate opening underneath him.

"What the -?"

He dropped, managing to grab his staff and cloak before being sucked in. He dropped into another forest.

"Okay, guess my next stop is here. Now where the hell am I?"

A red-haired man stared down at him, his eyes wide.

"Uh, hey."

"Who are you?" the man asked in English.

Luke automatically switched languages. "Hey, my name's Luke Nomades. I seem to be lost."

"Well, my name's Crono Temporus, and you're in the nation of Guardia, year 1001 AD."

"Geez. How did I time-travel, and how did you guess?"

"I've had experience."

"Kay. I'm just beginning my travels, so I don't have much in the way of experience."

"A fellow traveling warrior? And you're stranded. No doubt about it, you need a place to stay. Come on."

The two walked out of the forest and headed east to Crono's house. The two came in to see Crono's mom cooking dinner.

"Hey mom, I'm home!" Crono called out.

She turned around, stiffening at the sight of the newcomer. "Hello Crono. Who's your guest?"

"Luke Nomades, ma'am."

The sound of crashing plates echoed throughout the room.

"No... mades?" she stammered.

"Yeeeaaaaah," he responded, confused as to the reason for her stammering.

"Oh, Crono..." she sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"Crono, that was your father's name."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh boy. Look, ma'am..."

"Mom, I thought his name was Temporus! What's going on?"

"Crono, your father didn't want you to know, but it's unavoidable. He always wanted you to be trained in the Path, and now you can be!"

"Whoa, miss, hang on. I just got done with my training."

"But Crono's already a great fighter!"

Luke closed his mouth. With any other martial art, already having experience wouldn't have mattered. But the Path was built on natural, instinctive motion.

"Why wouldn't Father want me to know? Why would he hide my heritage?"

"Your father didn't want you to become a Nomad. He wanted you to have a peaceful life!"

"Yeah, well it's too late for that! I fucking saved the world!"

Luke's jaw dropped. He finally connected the dots between the date and the name. Before him stood The Crono Nomades. The founder of the Inner Path stood before him.

"Luke, I'm sorry. It was your father's wish. He was a homebody, but he took one last trip and never returned. He's dead, and I don't want to deny your father's last wishes!"

Crono cursed under his breath, then left. "You know where I'll be."


	8. Guardia Two

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 8: Guardia Two

Crono had stormed off to, where else, Marle's place. He smirked as he thought of her assumed name. Only he and his few friends were allowed to call her by that name; even her father got a royal ass-chewing the one time he tried to.

He calmly walked through the doors, giving a little wave to the guards standing to each side of the big doors. He paused to bow to the King before he went upstairs to see his girlfriend.

Even now he had trouble wrapping his mind around that concept. Until Marle, his only concept of a female friend had been Lucca, and he had grown up with her like brother and sister. He smiled at the one time they had tried to be 'together;' the concept of holding hands had been too strange, and the two had gone back to their sibling relationship like nothing had happened.

Despite all that, his mother still had a habit of forgetting Lucca's name. His face darkened as he thought of the other things his mother had 'forgotten.' "It's not frickin fair!" he burst out as soon as he had entered Marle's room.

Marle looked up at her boyfriend. Usually, that was her line, referring to her father not letting her do one thing or another. To hear it from Crono's mouth, something serious must have happened. Naturally, she asked, "What happened?"

"Some guy named Luke Nomades came through a Gate, came home with me, and now all of a sudden my mom tells me my dad's name was Nomades. I don't know what to do!"

Marle's jaw dropped to the floor. "You're a Nomades?"

"Even my girlfriend knows about them! Who are these Nomades people, anyway?"

"The Nomades family are wandering warriors. No three Nomades are ever together. That said, the one or two you get are a great force in any battle. The Guardia kingdom has fought both with and against Nomades, and their opponents always come up short."

"Great. So my father was some heroic ronin who wandered around without a thought for his family?"

"I don't think so. They sometimes settled down and had a family. They didn't really advertise who they were when they did that, though. And they were hunted. You and your visitor might be the only ones left in the world."

Crono quieted at that. "Hunted?"

"The Mystics have an ancient feud with the Nomades bloodline. Your father probably left to make sure you could live."

"So where does that leave me?"

"Well, you are the last of a noble family. Once my father hears about it, he may insist that you be 'properly equipped' or some such trash. And, also..."

"Oh shit. Noble family? Does that mean..."

"Yeah, he's gonna ask you into the family."

"Well, I'm not too upset at that, as long as I get to marry a certain blonde princess. But if we really are a noble family, I want to be able to raise my children the way I want."

"Oh, believe me, there's no way my dad's gonna interfere with that. He'd be better off trying to call me Marle," she muttered darkly, her displeasure obvious.

Crono shuddered at the thought of what had happened the last time.

"So, let's go meet this new family member of yours!"

Crono marveled at the sudden change in attitude. He just hoped he was never on her bad list.

The two began walking back to Crono's house, but when they arrived, they found the house in shambles. Sounds of fighting resounded from the nearby forest.

"Shit!" Crono cursed as he dove into the rubble to retrieve his Rainbow Edge katana. Marle also cursed, as she had no weapons.

"Marle, you stay here. LUKE! MOM!" he cried as he charged off into the underbrush.


	9. Guardia Three

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 9: Guardia Three

Luke frantically parried blows from Mystic blades as he gave ground, making sure to keep himself between the enemy and someone very likely to have been his ancestor. Crono's call barely pierced his attention.

"Over here!" Crono's mother called out.

The sound of pounding feet came through the forest, followed by Crono's voice calling out, "SLASH!" The vacuum-blade attack neatly cut down the line right in front of Luke.

Luke carefully noted Crono's technique as he charged forward, knife lashing out. "BLADE SHATTERER!" The next group of Mystics found themselves disarmed, then cut down by neat slashes across the throat.

"KI GUN!" Luke called out, his free hand sweeping across the new front line, knocking that line of enemies out.

"CYCLONE!" Crono called, cutting down the last group of enemies with a rapid swishing of his blade.

"Damn Mystics," Crono muttered under his breath as he sheathed his katana.

Luke leaned down to stare closely at one of the mystics that had been knocked out by his Ki Gun. "Nasty little bastards. Mystics, you say?"

Off in the distance, back the way they came, two voices yelled out, "ANTIPODE 3!"

Crono cursed. "Come on, Mom, we gotta move!"

Luke and Crono left hurriedly, Crono half-dragging his mother behind him.

They came upon a similar scene, with Marle and Lucca replacing Crono's mom and Luke.

Crono growled, "Oh hell no! LUMINAIRE!"

After the light died down, only one Volcano still stood. It got ready to throw red-hot rocks at them, but a voice called out from nearby, "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Ryoga came flying out, his finger poking the Volcano. Just like any other rock, it shattered.

His breathing heavy, he slowly relaxed. "Is that the last of them?"

Crono glanced around, then nodded.

"Phew. Thought I was a goner for a second. But there's no way I could let two beautiful ladies stand in harm's way!"

"Oh, no, buster, I'm taken," Marle growled.

Lucca blushed, then quickly added, "I'm not!"

Crono snickered. He knew that look in his friend's eye.

"Ryoga, right? How'd you get here?" Luke asked.

"I don't know. Once I left the Tendo's house, I got lost in some desert, then came on a forest and dropped in some kinda hole," he explained.

Luke slapped his forehead. He knew for damn sure there wasn't any desert near the Tendo's or the forest he had been in. Now he remembered Ryoga's defining features... His complete lack of direction and his obsession with Akane.

Wait, now that he thought about it, Ryoga's comment didn't sound like the words of someone obsessed with a girl. If anything, they were the words of a smooth-talking, or overly chivalrous, martial artist. From what he knew, Luke assumed it was the latter.

"By the way, where the hell am I?" Ryoga asked.

"We went back in time and to the country of Guardia, year 1001 AD."

"Guardia? Where the hell is Guardia?"

"We'll find a map later. In the meantime, I got a funny feeling we're here for a reason."

"That's right!" Lucca interjected. "The Timegate is a tool of some Entity. We already saved the world; now you guys have come for some reason. Maybe the Entity's paying us back..." she trailed off as she gazed at Ryoga.

"Entity? The Path teaches us that we walk a Path already marked... Maybe this Entity's the one that marked the way," Luke hypothesized.

"You mean Kami?" Ryoga asked.

"Kami's the closest I've ever heard someone get to describing him," Luke responded.

"What would he be paying you guys back for?" Ryoga asked.

"I think I can answer that." Luke went on to describe the adventures of Crono's group.

Crono's jaw dropped. "How did you know all that?"

"It's an old family story. One of the ones all Nomades are told in my time." Luke conveniently neglected to mention that the protagonist was his direct ancestor, to keep the timelines pure. A lesson from that same story, now applied for the first time in Luke's life.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I know why I'm here. You're a great fighter, but there's a lot I can teach you," Luke continued.

Crono simply nodded. He was still angry with his mom, but he wanted to know about his father's way of life.

"In the meantime, Ryoga, would you like something to eat?" Lucca asked.

All three males' stomachs growled. They all spoke in unison, "Yes please!"


	10. Guardia Four

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 10: Guardia Four

The group sat down at Lucca's table to eat. Lucca's mom had been gracious enough to prepare a small meal for the 'gallant adventurer who saved me,' as Lucca so eloquently put it.

"So, Luke, tell me about the Nomades life," Crono asked before digging in.

Luke had taken a bite, so he chewed and swallowed before answering. "The Nomades follow a lifestyle we call the Path. It's a way of living on the road, but it's also a set of morals. At the very core, we believe we're meant to help others; that's why we're granted our sense of wanderlust, and why we learn the martial arts branch of the Path. We also believe in living independently; that's why we learn the practical survival skills that are another branch of the Path."

He paused to eat some more and allow Crono to take the information in.

"We always see life as a journey, and staying in one place is only a brief stop on the road. A true follower of the Path finds it hard to stay in one place for more than a few weeks at a time."

"But, my dad and mom got married and spent time together," Crono interrupted.

Luke cleared his throat. "That's the one exception to the wandering rule; if someone is important enough to warrant staying in one place. Even then, I'll bet your dad didn't spend all his time with your mom. It's a tradition to travel the countryside around any one place, just to make sure no problems pop up. And sometimes, Nomades will take more than one wife."

He took a couple of bites and a drink as Crono spluttered in indignation. He set his glass down and continued, "They only marry if that person they marry is very important to them, and they'll stick around to help raise a child UNLESS staying would put the ones they love in danger. That is one reason your father would have left, or, like it or not, he could have been killed. Nomades have been hunted in the past."

"That still doesn't explain the extra wives thing!" Crono growled.

Luke turned a stern gaze on the warrior. "Every Nomades makes it perfectly clear how they live before marrying someone. In fact, we're each supposed to tell a summary of our entire way of life as part of Nomades marriage tradition. It's a part of our vows. Some don't take other wives, anyway. Your father could have been a one-woman man. That is perfectly respectable and even admired, but it's not a rule. Total honesty to the ones you love IS a rule, even when the truth hurts.

And THAT is why I'm telling you the whole truth; for your father's sake, and the family bond that exists between us, no matter how distant we're actually related."

Luke resumed eating as Crono processed that last bit of information.

"So..." Crono asked, "you're telling me this because we're related?"

"I am going to be training you. It's a master-student kinda thing. Plus, I'm gonna be stuck here for a while, it seems. That Gate closed, didn't it?" He directed his last question to Ryoga, who nodded.

"So it's best that you guys know all about my lifestyle, as well as what I'll be teaching you."

"So what's the first lesson?"

"The first lesson is the birthright of every Nomades and the principles connected to that inheritance.

First, there's the Nomades staff. It's not an ordinary staff. It also serves as a spear, fishing rod, and bow. This teaches us to be able to live off the land.

Then there's the shield, which doubles as a firepit. It teaches us to protect and comfort others.

Then, the cloak, which also serves as a tent or hammock. It teaches us to be able to rest in the worst life throws at you.

Then, the knife. It teaches us to cut deep and true, whether it's a problem or an enemy. It's double-edged, a reminder to be honest with ourselves or we too will be cut."

Crono quietly took the information in. Everyone around the table was stunned at the profound simplicity of Luke's lesson. Luke continued eating as his words sank in.

"This is the first lesson, and the core of the Path. Everything else is based around fulfilling these four truths in our own life. Traditionally, this is the only lesson I will teach you today."


	11. Guardia Five

Nomad: Luke's Story of Life

Chapter 11: Guardia Five

The next day, after Luke and Ryoga rose from their respective tents, Luke went to Crono's house.

"Good morning, Mrs. Temporus. I'm here to train Crono," he said as he arrived.

Rather subdued, she gestured for him to follow her. The two walked up the stairs to Crono's room.

Crono's mother opened the blinds, then gently touched Crono's shoulder. "Crono, it's time to get up."

Crono mumbled and turned over, shielding his eyes. He shot to his feet and grabbed his katana when he saw Luke, half drawing it before he recognized him.

"Good reflexes, it's a good start. But we'll leave target recognition for another day. Today, we spar," Luke said, diving right into business.

Crono rolled out of bed and onto his feet. "Let's do this!"

The two walked out the door, reassuring Crono's mom that they would eat food after their spar.

They walked off into the woods a little way. Luke took his staff-fighting posture, Crono his typical sword stance.

"All right, begin!" Luke exclaimed.

Crono quickly took the offensive, charging straight in with a sword thrust. Luke countered by sweeping the blade to the side with a circular motion of his staff. Crono kept his momentum and swung the sword's pommel at him, catching Luke in the head. He quickly kicked out, pushing Crono back.

"Good! I wasn't expecting that!"

Luke took the offensive, charging in with a sweeping low swing that Crono jumped over. Luke pulled his staff back and into another sweep, this one high, countered by Crono's katana blocking close to his face. Luke swiveled his staff around Crono's sword and hooked him behind the head, throwing him to Luke's rear. A quick spin and Luke held a staff tip at Crono's head.

"Gotta pull back quick. That's enough for now."

Luke helped Crono to his feet. All of a sudden, Magus appeared before them.

"Whoa, uh, who are you?" Luke asked.

"Magus? What's up?" Crono asked.

Magus looked back and forth between the two, then settled his gaze on Luke. "You've seen a blue-haired girl in your recent time."

"Yeah, Xian Pu. _You know her?_"

_"How have you come to know our language?"_ Magus asked, in what he knew as the ancient language of Zeal, but Luke knew as Mandarin Chinese.

_"I was taught many languages, and this one happens to be used by a tribe of warrior women called the Chinese Amazons. Xian Pu is one of them."_

_"Xia La is my sister. I've been looking for her across space and time. Where is she?"_

_"She's in the future, my time."_

_"I see. I take it you don't know how to get back."_

_"No."_

"Then we shall go to the End of Time."

"Wait, what?" Crono asked.

"Apparently, his sister wound up in my time."

"It will take me a while to make the preparations to go to the End of Time. I take it you will be adequately occupied." He disappeared.

"That... was creepy," Luke exclaimed.


	12. Guardia Six

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 12: Guardia Six

A few weeks passed. Crono learned the arts of the sword and staff. He had taken to strapping a slender short staff on his back. Crono's mother had gladly provided the material and skills to make Crono his cloak, and an order had been put in at the local blacksmith to make the shield, rounding out Crono's own Nomades gear.

Magus returned in much the same way he had first appeared. The group that would be going was assembled. In the end, Ryoga, Luke, Crono, Lucca, and Marle would be setting off, with Magus 'driving,' so to speak.

The ritual was set up with no problems at all. It wasn't a particularly dark ritual, so no bloody sacrifices were necessary. It did take a balance of elemental power, which wasn't all that hard to set up. Simply casting the second level of their respective magics was enough to generate the power source. The gate opened and they all stepped through.

Only to meet a solid metal cage. The gate was quickly closed, with a curse from an unknown source.

"Why? Why do you want more? Aren't the Nomades enough?" the man asked.

Silence was his answer.

"Aw great, the silent treatment. I'm Matthew Nomades. Who're you guys?"

"Nomades? I'm Luke Nomades, and this is Crono," Luke informed the stranger.

"Crono? CRONO! No, not you too! Oh this is horrible!"

The rest stared at him. He had obviously been in here way too long.

"I had hoped you would be spared."

A dark voice rang out, "Nothing could stop me from my goal. I now have four Nomades souls."

Ryoga scratched his head. "Last I checked, there were only three of you guys here."

"YOU FOOL! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE!" the voice thundered. "You have the honorable wandering soul of the Nomades. Even if your blood isn't Nomades, your heart is."

"Well don't count on keeping us. We're gonna get out of here!" Ryoga shouted.

"HAH! This cell is designed to withstand every Nomades technique, even the Ki Cannon."

"Oh yeah? BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" With this loud shout, Ryoga shattered the stone wall behind them. The hole opened to what was obviously the barracks of whatever fortress they had wound up in. The guards and the prisoners stared at each other.

"FOOLS! ATTACK!"

"ANTIPODE 3!" shouted Marle and Lucca

"LUMINAIRE!" from Crono.

"KI CANNON!" from Luke

"WIND STRIKE!" from Matthew.

"SHI SHI HOKODAN!" from Ryoga.

"DARK MATTER!" from Magus.

The combined attacks completely obliterated the barracks and every mundane soldier inside it. A few magically-trained high-class fighters still stood. A man dressed much like Magus stepped into the room.

"So, it begins. The final battle of the Path and the Dark Way. I am Death to your life. I am Hades."

"Shut yer yap, I heard enough of it for eighteen long years. I am Matthew Nomades, and I stand for my family and way of life!"

"As do I!" Luke shouted. Crono echoed with his own affirmation.

Ki and magic flew back and forth. One by one, everyone except the four Nomades men and Hades fell.

"Crono," Matthew spoke during a brief lull in the fight.

"Yes?" he asked. Somehow, he knew this was important.

"I'm sorry, son. I tried."

"Wha -?" Crono began, only to watch the man he now knew as his father charge Hades.

Matthew drew his knife and began spinning it around. It spun till it began glowing with the friction of the air.

"FIRE STRIKE!" Matthew cried.

"SOUL TRAP!" Hades countered.

Matthew faltered, his eyes glazing over. He dropped the knife, then fell, his soul taken by Hades' spell.

"That's one! You're done for!"

Luke sighed, then looked over at Ryoga.

"He's right, it's hopeless."

Crono shouted, "We're still standing! It's not over!"

Luke continued, "All we have left is..."

Both Ryoga and Luke sighed the same word. "Despair."

At the same time, they both shouted out, "ULTIMATE SHI SHI HOKODAN!"

"Wha-" Hades was cut off as both attacks slammed into him, cutting him down.

"NOW, CRONO!" Luke shouted.

"LUMINAIRE!" Crono shouted, focusing the last of his magic power into the explosion of energy.

"DAMN YOU NOMADES!" Hades shouted as his body was enveloped in a bright light.

With the battle over, Matthew's soul returned. Crono ran over to him and sobbed, "Father!"

To which he only replied, "Son."


	13. Guardia Epilogue

Nomad: Luke's Story of Life

Chapter 13: Guardia Epilogue/Author's Note

With the Dark Way's mage defeated, the group recovered from their battle. Magus easily found the materials he needed to return to the End of Time among the mage's gathered materials, as well as a few odds and ends he would find useful later on. The others also got their chance to search through what the dark mage had gathered. Matthew got his items back and stood ready to travel with them.

With this completed, Magus reenacted the ritual to take them to the End of Time.

When they got there, the Guru of Time spoke to Luke. "Luke Nomades, heir of the bloodline responsible for so much good in this world. The world has need of you in another time. But first, you must learn to use magic."

With that, he sent Luke into Spekkio's room. There, Luke trained until he had skill on par with Crono. As he trained, the others made use of the portals to return to their own times. Ryoga, Magus, and Lucca traveled to Nerima, where Magus reawakened Shampoo's memories as Schala. Magus stayed with his newfound sister, and Ryoga and Lucca returned to Guardia.

Matthew and Crono, with Marle in tow, returned to Crono's mother, who was ecstatic to see her husband and her son returning. The reunited family returned to their life of keeping the land at peace. Matthew returned to his former duties as a knight of Guardia, with Crono as his student. Crono, now that it was known he had knight's blood in him, was placed in service to Marle.

After the months of training with Spekkio, Luke was ready. He spoke to the Guru of Time, who pointed him to a time portal that had not been there before. As Luke stepped into it, the Guru wished him luck. He would need it in the next time.

Author's Note.

Another arc is finished. I got a comment that Luke Nomades seemed a bit like a Mary Sue. This story isn't so much about Luke the character as it is about the Nomades lifestyle and culture. Luke's story just happens to be the most involved with the essential events of the world, but the culture of the Nomades is the most obvious in Luke. Luke is an ideal, yes. It may be a flaw of the story, but it is what it is.

The next crossover is Naruto, but an AU version of it, placed well in the future of the Naruto storyline. Naruto's generation will have grown into parents and leaders. The pairings so far are NaruHina, SakuOC, and ShikaTema. I would love your input for pairings.

Signing off, Flames Chaos and Wolf


	14. Konoha One

Nomad: Luke's Journey of Life

Chapter 14: Konoha One

Luke was dumped unceremoniously in front of a massive gate. He slowly picked himself up and dusted himself off, only to be interrupted by a pair of guard ninja.

"State your name and business!" one of them demanded.

Luke scratched his head, then responded, "Luke Nomades, and I really don't have any idea what I'm doing here."

"Nomades?" the other one cut in. "There's only two Nomades, and you're not one of them!"

"I guarantee you that one of those Nomades can confirm who I am," Luke responded.

"That may be, but until then -" the guard poofed from sight, materializing behind Luke. Instinctively knowing what was about to happen, Luke lashed out with a backwards kick, then spun and assumed a ready guard.

Another ninja appeared. "Kay, obviously this guy's good. Lemme take him," the ninja said to the two guards, who nodded and withdrew.

The ninja turned to Luke. "My name is Joufuma Nomades. You are messing with MY friends. Prepare yourself."

"Joufuma, huh? My name is Luke Nomades, and I am damn ready." With that, he drew his staff and began whirling it in a defensive pattern.

"Nomades, eh? Prove it." With that, Joufuma launched into battle, his own staff lashing out.

The staffs battled back and forth, clashing and jarring the two combatants. Both scored a few hits, but nothing serious. With a final blow, both staffs were knocked out of each combatant's hands.

The two jumped back out of each other's range. "You're good. But not good enough," Joufuma complimented before taking a traditional Nomades fire stance.

Luke smiled. "Good form. Doubt it's good enough to defeat my earth stance, though." With that, he shifted his feet outward and settled into the earth stance.

Joufuma leapt into the fray with a sweeping roundhouse kick, followed by two palm strikes. They impacted against Luke's forearms, hard enough to leave bruises.

Luke lashed out with a single punch, smashing into Joufuma's guard and throwing him backwards.

"That's IT!" Joufuma shouted, then leapt back, forming hand-seals. "_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!_"

Luke caefully observed the way he manipulated both his ki and magic energy as a single source of power, creating flames. Not knowing how to do the same, he resorted to using his Ki Field and a Wall item from Crono's time.

The Great Fireball technique flared as it impacted his barriers, losing first half and then all of its energy as it passed through each barrier. The heat still scorched Luke, causing him to shrink back a bit. As the smoke cleared, Joufuma's jaw dropped as Luke stood there unscathed.

Luke smirked, then called out, "ICE!" freezing Joufuma's hands and feet in blocks of frozen water from the air.

"Damn it, how'd you do that!" Joufuma asked, rather peeved.

"Simple. He used our bloodline limit," another, older ninja, who had been spectating, called.

"But if he can use Mahou Kouzetsu, that means..."

"Yep, he's a true Nomades. Welcome, cousin. My name's Seireijin Nomades," the man introduced himself. "Now that your test is out of the way, welcome to Konoha."


End file.
